Fairy Tale
by The Water Drinker
Summary: Aya was just a normal girl. She attended college, and led a fairly average life. That is, until she picks up a piece of a corrupted artifact that is anything but normal. She always did have a penchant for fairy tales, but she never thought she'd be thrown into one.
1. Chapter 1

_It was a perfect day. The sky was clear of clouds. The birds were singing beautiful songs; the air was cool. It felt like one of those days when the sun was set just right to cast a vibrant glow on the landscape to give you that uplifted sense of peace and contentment. One of those days when it just felt like nothing was going to be able to bring you down. No worries or cares. Everything was just... perfect._

 _I was leaning out of a three story balcony where the curtains fluttered softly in a gentle breeze. It caressed my face with its gentle embrace as it stirred my hair into a dance atop my head._

 _Speaking of my hair, it was, for some reason, several times longer than its normal length. And by that I mean it reached over the balcony all the way to the ground below. My hair was supposed to be short. Like about to my chin kind of short. But for some reason, it wasn't strange to me at all. It seemed... right._

 _A sigh escaped my slightly parted, overly feminine lips. The use of the description of overly feminine because my lips were caked with some kind of tacky red lipstick. The cheap kind that you normally see advertised on department store banners with actresses that definitely_ aren't _wearing the knock-off brand they're trying to sell to some unwitting consumer. I would have also normally thought this strange. Not that I don't like make up, or have anything against it, just usually it took too much effort for me to bother putting it on._

 _Besides all of the strangeness of the situation, I simply propped my chin into my open palm and rested my elbow on the window sill. I was in such a relaxed state of mind. My eyes closed as I took in a deep breath of air through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. I felt like I was waiting for something. I could feel it. Something spectacular was supposed to happen here._

 _As if on cue, I heard a sound that immediately made my heart swell inside of its rib cage prison. My eyes opened quickly, as the sound registered in my mind as the galloping of a horse. At first I didn't see anything. Just the vast expanse of meadow in front of my... wait, was this a castle?_

 _When nothing showed up before my eyes, a pang of disappointment had me sagging against the window's frame. A part of my consciousness saying_ , no, it's not time yet _. I'm not exactly sure why the idea depressed me. It was almost like I had no control over the feeling. An out of body experience, to a degree._

 _But this disappointment was short lived, as a voice as smooth and silky as velvet found its way up the several stories of the castle up to my stone window. "My fair maiden, oh how I've longed to see your face. It is as beautiful and radiant as I remember."_

 _Excitement welled up inside my chest as I nearly threw myself out the window (which would have been pretty bad, all things considered), trying to bend forward so I could see below and find the voice that called out to me._

 _A head of glorious red hair met my searching eyes, and the excitement gave way to full on elation._

 _"My prince!" I bellowed out over the balcony. The man below me was seated upon a white steed. It looked regal and beautiful, but no where near to the degree the man on top of it was. His dazzling, emerald-colored eyes shimmered in the sunlight, princely and handsome. "Shuichi!"_

 _Shuichi smiled, and bowed with one arm bent across his middle. It was the perfect picture of grace and poise._

 _"Aya, my dear, at long last, I have found you." The man righted himself to stare up at me. He gave another charming smile before it then fell into a discontent frown. With a pull of the reigns, he maneuvered the horse to trot over closer to the stone wall of my castle, his neck craned up to look at me. He placed a hand on the stone of the fortress that held me with a look of distress. "But now that I have found you, how do I reach you, dearest Aya?"_

 _For a moment, I was distraught by this revelation just as much as Shuichi seemed to be, but then my mouth began to work out words of its own accord as an idea popped into my head without my control of it. "My hair! You can climb up my hair to get to me, my prince!"_

 _It sounded so silly, but for some reason, at this very moment, it made perfect sense._

 _The frown on Shuichi's charming features lifted back into that radiant smile. With one elegant sweep of his leg, he hopped down from the horse to move a bit closer to the wall. He gave a nod, staring up at me through emerald-colored eyes full of hope and longing, and then he began to speak._

"Aya! Do you think this dress will make my ass look fat?" _But the words that came out of that perfect mouth had sounded nothing like the smooth talking man. In fact, it sounded kind of high-pitched and girly. Nothing at all like what it was supposed to be. And I would definitely know, expert I am on the subject._

 _I saw his lips move in time with the words, and it caused my head to tilt to the side in confusion. Only now did it seem to finally register in my brain that something was off about this scenario. Shuichi, however, didn't seem in the slightest bit deterred. Which is weird, honestly. You'd think you'd notice if your voice suddenly changed octaves. Nevertheless, he grabbed my long locks and gave them a rough shake._ "Well? Are you gonna answer me?"

 _"I... uh... well..." I floundered uselessly._

"Oh. My. God. This will be perfect! Look how cute this is!"

 _When something smacked me on the thigh, like a hand coming down on me hard, my senses jolted back to me._

My eyes opened, and my grumble of protest came out groggy and irritable as I rolled onto my side. My arm felt like dead weight as I lazily left it to dangle off of the edge of a bed that I was lying on. I blinked slowly as the world began to make sense again. I scanned the room through half-lidded eyes until they landed on the slim frame of a girl. She was standing in front of a full length mirror with a yellow dress in her hands pulled up just under her neck, angling herself from left to right with an analytical gaze. Wait, I knew that girl.

"...Ayame?"

My friend spun around on her heels to level me with an unimpressed glare. She began to tap her foot in an impatient gesture. "Did you really fall asleep?" When my only response was a sleepy, half-suppressed yawn, she rolled her eyes at me and turned back to the mirror. "How the heck did you fall asleep when this is probably only the _most_ important day of our lives?" Her tone was accusatory and clipped, but it didn't bother me all that much. I just rolled around on the sheets underneath me until I was laid sprawled out on the bed like a beached starfish.

"S'in a few 'ours anyway. Why you so worried about it?" I let out a yawn as I felt moisture wet the corners of my scrunched up eyes. I wasn't looking, but I knew Ayame had turned to me when I heard a woosh of the fabric.

"Why am I-... You _know_ why I'm worried about it!" I could tell she was blushing. I could hear it in her voice.

I hefted my back off the bed to get into a sitting position, comfortably slouched. I turned my gaze on her and chuckled when I saw the blush. She glared at my knowing smirk and let out a hmph before turning back to her reflection in the mirror. The action only made me want to laugh more.

"Chill, Ayame. He's not goin' anywhere. I _promise_ he'll still be there when we get there. Whether we look ready to go to some fancy celebrity ball or not."

Ayame sent me another glare through the mirror's reflection, continuing to fiddle with the dress in her dainty hands.

I let out a grunt at her antics before flopping back down on the bed to curl up on my side, facing away from her.

I heard her dismissive words from behind me. "Oh, shut up. Don't act like you're not stoked about this too. He _never_ goes to any of the university's events. This is like, a once in a lifetime opportunity." I merely let out another grunt.

As I laid there, I closed my eyes. Maybe if I fell back to sleep, I could go back to that dream.

Before I really knew what was coming, an open hand slapped down on my bare thigh. I let out a startled yelp before getting up on my hands and knees to scurry away from my attacker.

Once I felt I was sufficiently away from anymore hands, I turned my startled gaze upon my best friend, who was looking at me with a crazy, amused grin on her face. I pointed at her with all the accusatory force I could muster. "What the hell, Ayame?!" I felt a little put-off when she started to chuckle.

Her eyes turned sly and her grin became devious as she whispered, almost conspiratorially, "I know what you're thinking!"

"Oh, really?" I asked skeptically.

She didn't say anything, just nodded and let out a devious giggle. I let out a huff, deciding not to humor her as I leaned more comfortably against the wall.

"I know how much you want to see Shuichi too. Don't act all nonchalant." I stared at her through narrowed eyes. "You've had a crush on him as long as I have, don't even try to deny it." My glare was incredulous despite how my heart began to beat a little faster at the mention of my infinitesimally small crush. Yeah, totally small. Her next words came out quiet, as if she were imparting to me a well kept secret. "I heard you muttering his name in your sleep."

My eyes opened wide at the prospect. I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I scrambled to move away from her even more. As if moving away from her would help me get away from her words. I grabbed the pillow next to the headboard and used it as a makeshift shield. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." Had I really been talking in my sleep? Oh shit, what _else_ did I say?

I heard her let out a bark of laughter. I scowled at her around my downy shield. She quieted down and gave me a smile, which I did not return. "I was just kidding." She said, and raised a hand to point at me. "You should have seen your face!" Then her eyes widened, like she had been struck by an epiphany. Her slight surprise then melted away into that previous look of devious satisfaction. "You w _ere_ dreaming about him, weren't you?"

I didn't answer her right away as I hugged the pillow in my arms tighter to my body. I settled for just repeating myself by way of a reply. "I don't know what you're talking about." She waited there, silent. Eventually, I cracked. "Okay, yes! I was. I think I was Rapunzel or something. Kinda weird actually."

She smirked. "You and your fairy tales." I glowered at her as she walked back over to the dress she had left, which was slung over the mirror. She picked it up and turned around to face me. "So, do you think this'll work?" She asked.

I threw the pillow down on the bed and sighed. "Ayame, we're going to be outside, at _night_. No one's going to be able to see you anyway."

She looked perturbed by my retort, and let out a huff. "So? I can still look nice." She then walked over to a dresser next to the bed I was sitting on and folded it. She carefully placed it atop the smooth wooden surface before picking up a brush that seemed to have been lying there forgotten until now. "And besides," Ayame started. "It's not like there isn't going to be any light. Gotta be prepared for anything."

Her words sparked a small twinge of nervousness in me. I tried not to show it too much. "Just lights right? From the lamps?" I tried to hide behind the smile on my face, but I'm sure she saw my sudden unease.

She returned the smile, although it held a sullen look within. Her gaze drifted from my anxious face to my leg. I followed her gaze. My leg was marred by a scar that stretched up my calf. It tainted my light skin with a splotchy redness. I let out a sigh before I looked back to Ayame. I watched her stare slowly rise to a similar mark on my upper arm, lingering there for a short time before looking back to my eyes. "Yeah... just lights. Don't worry."

My body relaxed as I let out a deep exhale, like a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Good." I said, though I still felt a little tense and wary. I looked down at my leg with a frown. Gently, I lifted a hand to trace my fingertips along the surface of my gnarled skin. It felt dry underneath my touch. I felt my eyes grow a little heavy as I stared, falling half-closed, but this wasn't something I really wanted to think about right now.

Ayame seemed to notice the still somewhat awkward atmosphere, and walked over to me before extending out her hand. I stared at it in confusion for a moment before I looked up at her. She smiled at me. "Come on," She said, "Let's fix up that hair o' yours and find you something nice to wear, hm?"

I blinked a few times, beating back a bit of moisture I hadn't even been aware had started to gather at the corners of my eyes. I shook my head clear of any wandering thoughts before I grabbed her hand and let her pull me off of the bed, happy for the distraction.

* * *

A few hours later, and we were on our way to our university for the big social gathering of our peers. We were early, of course. Ayame wouldn't have it any other way. She kept going on and on about being prepared and being on the look out for our favorite red-haired prince.

The sun was starting to set by the time we got on the campus, and we walked down the long stretches of sidewalk until we were in an open space that looked much like an amphitheater. Stone steps like bleachers arched into a big semi-circle. A few people were scattered on them, talking animatedly about things I was too far away to hear.

As the warm, bright light of the setting sun began to hide behind the trees, the sidewalk lamps began to flicker on, as if being awoken from a deep sleep.

Ayame grabbed my hand and jerked me along to the bottom of the steps. On the bottom level of the descending stone stairs were tables placed neatly that were full of refreshments. I let her drag me over to them so she could pick up a paper cup.

I watched her take a few gulps before I asked, "So, what is this exactly again? I know it's a little social thing, but is that all?"

She finished her drink in a few more gulps, tilting her head back for good measure to get all of it, before she looked at me with a grin. "Well, it's really just a meet and greet thing. With it being so close to the start of the spring semester, some of the students arranged it for the transfers and the freshmen coming in. A chance to meet your peers sort of thing."

I made an, "ah," face before I turned to look around. More people were filtering in. I noticed there were a few new faces I hadn't seen before. But then again, I never really paid much attention to anyone that wasn't in my classes to begin with. After a moment, I spun back around to face Ayame.

"Hey, Ayame."

The girl had just finished another cup of punch before she set it down to look at me. "Yeah?"

I looked at her face a moment with an expression I know must have looked quizzical with the way Ayame adopted a, ' _well, go on'_ look of her own. "Why do you think Shuichi is even coming to one of these anyway? Isn't he more of a loner?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. When he told me about how he was going during our biology class, I didn't stop to ask _why_. I mean, who cares? He's going to be here!"

Her response made me chuckle. "You would be the one to stalk him." Then that little nag of curiosity came slithering its way back, poking at my mind like an overzealous child would an animal in a petting zoo. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'm just curious is all."

Ayame rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "Always asking questions, always overthinking. Haven't you ever heard that expression, 'don't look a gift-horse in the mouth?'"

I merely grinned at her. "I never really got that expression. What's a gift-horse anyway? And why shouldn't I look in its mouth?" Ayame threw her hands up in exasperation.

I let the subject drop, because it probably didn't matter all that much. My eyes went back to the people seated on the steps. It didn't appear that the object of our affections was here yet.

The air felt pretty chilly, I noticed. I wrapped my arms around myself on reflex. The cold and me never really got along all that well. When I turned back to Ayame, she didn't seem all too bothered by it. Even though she had decided to wear that yellow dress with nothing but a coat to cover her arms. I had settled on a hoodie and some jeans myself, and I was still cold.

Before I could ask her how she wasn't freezing her ass off, she quickly nudged my arm and began to point frantically. "Look, look! There he is!" Her near about panicked tone diverted my attention as I followed the outstretched limb with my eyes until they landed upon our mutual crush. One Shuichi Minamino. He looked positively handsome in some tan slacks and a brown coat. But then again, my opinion was probably pretty biased. He could have walked up dressed in nothing but a brown paper bag and still impressed little ol' me. "Oh my gosh! _Oh my gosh!_ Should we go talk to him?"

My response to her rushed babbling was a just as impressive, "Ah-huh?"

That seemed to be all the incentive she needed, because she grabbed my arm and started rushing over to Shuichi, who was standing about the top of the steps regarding the open space through calculating green eyes. If I didn't know any better, I would have probably interpreted that look to be a little edgy, if not nervous. I didn't really get a chance to consider what that might mean, because I was a little too busy with thinking, _holy crap it's Shuichi and he's standing right there,_ _ **and holy crap he's attractive.**_

Ayame slowed her pace when we started getting closer to him. She stopped completely when we were about a few feet away. He didn't seem to notice us.

I stopped behind her, because there was no way I was going to go up to Shuichi alone. I saw Ayame's shoulders shudder slightly before she spun around on her heel to face me. She looked nervous.

"Did we change our mind about talking to him?" I asked after a short time of standing around. Trust Ayame to get cold feet when we were so close.

Ayame shook her head and chanced a quick glance over her shoulder. She quickly turned back to me.

"What should I say?" She asked with a panicked whisper.

"How about hi? That usually works."

Ayame didn't seem to appreciate my somewhat glib reply. In retaliation, she grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me to her, then spun us around in Shuichi's direction. I suddenly felt horribly shy when I no longer had a human shield in between the red-haired man and me. I swallowed down a lump in my throat. But I didn't get much of a chance to get used to seeing Shuichi right in front of me before I was being pushed in his direction. I felt the beginnings of panic setting in.

I tried to squirm out of Ayame's grasp, but she was bigger than me, and wasn't having any of that.

"Wait! Ayame! Let's talk about this!" I said as I attempted to dig my heels into the ground. It didn't really work.

"Go say _hi_ , Aya." I couldn't see her face, but I didn't need to to know it looked evil. She gave me a shove.

"Hold on! Maybe we don't really need to talk to Shuichi right now, you know?" I babbled, followed by a nervous laugh. "He just got here, after all. Maybe he wants to... to... you know, relax. We shouldn't bother him." I let out another nervous laugh.

My resistance proved futile, and with another forceful shove I nearly ran right into the man in front of me. I stumbled forward ungracefully before I stood up straight to send a glare over my shoulder. I was about to give that girl a piece of my mind for shoving me like that when a silky smooth voice interrupted me.

"Hello there."

I froze up. My head swiveled mechanically on my shoulders until I was face to face with Shuichi. That serious look he had had on his handsome features before had been replaced with a more gentle and amicable one.

"H-hi." I returned. I just hoped it didn't sound as lame to Shuichi as it did to my own ears.

I saw his smile quirk slightly, as if he found something funny; he lifted an eyebrow with a tilt of his head. I watched the way his hair shifted to fall over his shoulder like a red curtain. It was mesmerizing. I could only wish my hair looked half as nice as his. My own short, light brown hair could hardly compare. When I heard him chuckle, my heart practically jumped up to lodge itself in my throat.

"You look a little flustered. Are you all right?"

I looked away from his hair to stare at his eyes. They shone with politely restrained amusement. Looking at them only made me feel even more nervous. I let out a nervous laugh on reflex.

"Oh, uh... Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." As I said this, I lifted my hand to tuck a rebellious strand of hair behind my ear.

Shuichi looked at me a moment longer before his eyes traveled briefly over my shoulder, then back to me. "I assume your friend put you up to this?" His voice was a sweet melody. All charming and gentlemanly. The sound of it almost made me forget what was actually spoken. Thankfully, I remembered before I could embarrass myself.

"Ah, well, yeah. I suppose so. She can be... uh..." I glanced over my shoulder. I saw Ayame standing a little ways off.

"Forceful?" Shuichi helpfully supplied when I trailed off.

When our eyes met, she flashed me a thumbs up. The bubbly shyness I was feeling faded into irritation. "Annoying." I finished with a little more oomph.

I heard Shuichi's laugh from in front of me. I looked back at him to see him stifling a few more chuckles behind a fist. "I see. Not too much of a bother, hopefully."

I let out a sigh and shrugged my shoulders. "I suppose not. She has her useful moments."

Shuichi smiled pleasantly, if not a bit playfully. "Ah, yes. What would we do without their sparse moments of usefulness?"

I let out an undignified snort. "Throw 'em in a ditch somewhere probably. I'll get back to you on that when I think of something a little more creative."

Shuichi's smile was infectious, and his charming laugh made me ease up on the tense anxiety. I felt the beginnings of a smile coming on.

"I'll hold you to that." He said cheerfully with a chuckle.

As I stared at his brilliant eyes and handsome smile, my heart chose this moment to remind me of just who it was I was looking at. It picked up its pace when I realized how close the two of us were, and that I was staring a bit too much. I took a step back and averted my gaze to our feet. How could I forget? This is probably the most perfect man on the planet, and here I am acting like a hooligan with no manners.

"Tell me," I heard him say. I looked up slowly to see Shuichi with a bit of a smirk on his otherwise friendly face. It looked sly and playful. He continued once he seemed to notice he had my attention. "Is this the product of one of those 'useful' moments?"

That had me floundering. I had no idea how to respond to that. So I defaulted to spluttering. "I, uh, huh?" It definitely wasn't my finest moment.

His laugh came out more hearty than his last ones. I felt my face heat up. My cheeks felt warm enough to have me worrying whether or not I was steaming in the cold.

His laughter quieted to light chuckles, and he spoke after a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm just teasing you." I would have glared at him for the amused look in his eyes at my expense had this been anyone other than Shuichi.

"Oh." I managed through my embarrassment.

We stood around awkwardly for a few moments. Well, I felt awkward and out of place; Shuichi just looked natural and calm. I shuffled my feet along the pavement, kicking away at rocks that weren't there.

"So," I looked up at the sound of Shuichi's voice. When my eyes met his, he smiled. "I haven't seen you around the campus. What classes are you taking?"

"We took a class together once." I said, returning the smile.

Shuichi actually looked surprised when I told him this. He seemed to take a moment to consider. A spark of recognition lit up his eyes after a moment. "Ah, yes. I remember. Business ethics, right?" I nodded. He chuckled lightly. "Quite the energetic class, hm?" I let out a weary sigh at the mere mention of the boring lecture class.

"Indeed."

Shuichi let out a laugh. "Perhaps we'll have more classes together in the future."

The reply surprised me. I felt the warmth resurface to my face. Because honestly, had _Shuichi_ been the one to say he wanted to have more classes with _me_? I mean, that's practically what he said. Or maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. I looked down with the blush I knew was staining my cheeks as assuredly red as Shuichi's hair was.

"That would be..." I started. I knew I felt all jittery with what I liked to call fangirlitus, (fondly dubbed by me whenever Ayame goes into a spiel on how amazing the man in front of me is) but it was hard not to. If he just wasn't so darn charming. I looked back up to Shuichi's face, hoping I didn't look too doe-eyed. "...Really..." But before I could finish my bubbly sentence, I finally got a good look at Shuichi's expression through my love-struck haze. What I saw startled me.

Shuichi had taken on a cold look. His whole demeanor completely one-eightied. The friendly smile was now an emotionless line. And those brilliant eyes of his looked empty, dead, ...soulless. His whole body looked rigid and tense. And I noticed his fist was clenched so tightly his knuckles had drained of their natural color to white.

I took a step back on instinct. A small pang of fear shot through me straight up to my heart that started to thump a tad quicker. "...Sh-Shuichi?" I called out, but Shuichi didn't seem to be paying me any mind any longer. He was looking out into the crowd at something with such a deadly focus that it sent a cold chill up my spine. "What's wro-"

As I tried to ask, a shrill scream shattered the calm.

* * *

AN:

So, yeah, this is a redone version of my previous Fairy Tale story. I rewrote it because I was iffy about it. I decided to take it a bit slower, and add some things according to a couple of new ideas.

But yeah! Feedback is greatly appreciated. Does it sound too wordy? Let me know. I'll try to cut it down. I don't want to overwhelm people with lengthy expositions.

Random tangent, but, one thing that I randomly noticed for the YYH fandom: a lot of the stories that involve OC's are in first person. I was surprised by that. I thought people tended to lean towards third. I kind of wanted to do first person for the challenge. This is my first, first person perspective story. (Even if I did rewrite the first chapters) I just thought it would make including an OC feel more personal.

But anywho! Reviews. Love 'em. Hope you liked this chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Woohooo, second chapter. Yay.

* * *

My head spun around so sharply I swear something cracked. My eyes swept over the crowd, frantically searching for the source of the scream. But I didn't see anything other than people standing up from the steps with a sense of urgency and mounting fear and confusion.

My attention was snatched from the scene when I heard the sound of shoes hitting the concrete. I looked over to see Shuichi had started running in the direction of the scream.

"W-wait! Shuichi!" I called out, but the man didn't stop.

" _Stay here!_ " I heard him yell with a commanding tone.

"But...!" I didn't get a chance to say much else before he was gone. Panic began to set in when I realized I was alone. So I began looking around desperately for Ayame.

 _It's okay. Don't go getting freaked out yet. You don't even know what's going on._

My eyes landed on Ayame, who was running towards me. Immediate relief flooded through me at seeing her.

"Aya!" Her voice was a sweet relief to my ears.

"Ayame! Boy am I glad to see-"

As soon as the words began to leave my mouth, something crashed down so suddenly right in between us that the very force of the explosion it caused sent me reeling backwards before completely throwing me off my feet. I might have screamed, but I can't be sure. The loud bang of the explosion was enough to deafen me to any other sounds.

I hit the ground hard. I tried to use my hands to stop some of the impact, but it didn't help me much. I rolled along the ground until I finally stopped in the grass.

My knee was definitely bruised, and my hands had scratches all along the palms. I gingerly lifted a hand to swipe at my temple. When I moved it away, I saw the red shine of blood streaked across my fingers. I let out a ragged breath of air before placing my hands flat in front of me to push myself up onto my hands and knees.

When I looked up through the fringe of my hair, I saw the silhouettes of bodies rushing around like frightened animals. It was too dark to see much else. Whatever explosion had went off had knocked out most of the lamps.

"...Ayame?" I called out, but she was no longer near me.

I tried pushing myself up off the ground, but when a sudden dizzy spell hit me, I fell forward. I focused instead on trying to breathe and to perhaps calm my racing heart.

 _What happened?_

I heard shouts and screams all around me. It was disorienting to say the least. Add that to the fact that I could hardly see anything made this whole situation rather terrifying.

"Shuichi?" I tried again, but my calls fell on deaf ears.

Desperation and panic began to override the pain in my body and the dizziness. I forced myself upright on shaky legs.

"Hey! What the hell is-?" I tried to yell at the panicked crowd, but something shooting past the rushing bodies in my direction distracted me. It caught the ambient light of the moon and caused it to glint white. I didn't get a chance to see what it was exactly before it shot past me so fast it scraped my cheek. The force caused me to flinch. Whatever it was, it was small. Like a rock or something. Did somebody throw it? If so, that was one hell of a throw. Had that been a direct hit, I imagine I would have gotten much more than a scratch.

But that wasn't something I should been paying attention to at the moment. I swiped at my stinging cheek before looking around. I didn't know where Ayame or Shuichi were, but standing here alone wasn't going to benefit me much.

In retrospect, it probably would have been a better idea to lay low and wait for the panic and confusion to subside, but I was much too antsy to stay in one place. Ayame could have been seriously hurt by that weird explosion for all I knew.

With that thought in mind, I walked forward. People shoved past me without much care. I tried shoving them back, but the adrenaline from the panic was enough for them to keep me at bay.

" _Ayame!_ " I screeched, but I doubt Ayame––wherever she was––could have even heard me over the panicked cries of the people around me.

Before long, I got swept away by the crowd. It left me feeling more than a little lost, and plenty scared. What should I do? Should I run away? Maybe I should go find help.

But those thoughts didn't get much chance to blossom into a plan, because another one of those explosions set off right in the center of the small amphitheater. But this time it was much bigger than the one before. It sent people flying, their bodies looked like rag dolls, sailing through the air as if weightless. It shook the ground on impact, causing a lot of people who weren't near it to fall to the ground. I was no exception.

I hit the ground on my already abused knees with a loud curse. The pain shot through me like a bolt of live electricity. I grit my teeth through the pain as I scrunched my eyes closed tightly. I felt the moisture at the corners of my eyes, but I tried to hold it back.

That is, until I saw an orange, eerie glow behind my closed eyelids. A jolt of unadulterated fear seized my heart with such force I momentarily forgot how to even breathe. My eyes flew open as I stared. My mouth fell open in disbelief, sorrow, ...horror. I was terrified, and I could do nothing to stop it.

 _...Fire..._

I let out a pitiful whine as I scrambled to my feet, paying no mind to my sullied, bloody knees. I spun around so fast I nearly fell again, but the adrenaline running through my system kept me upright. I dashed past the bodies as fast as my legs would allow. I tripped and stumbled a few times, but I kept moving. I fell once, but the pain hadn't even registered in my mind. The only thing I could think of was...

... _ **Fire**_...

I didn't even know where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get away. I had to get away _**now**_.

It felt like I was running for an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Every second felt like a year. I could never get far enough away.

Escape, however, was not meant to be, as another explosion set off right in front of me. I let out a deafening scream. Or rather, I imagine it would have been without the accompaniment of the boom of the impact of whatever it was that hit the earth hard enough to shake the ground. It sent me flying backwards through the air. I felt the heat singe and tear at the skin of my arms and legs right through my clothes. The debris from the pavement hitting me hard enough to leave some nasty bruises, I was sure.

The whole world spun before my eyes until I finally hit the solidity of the ground. I had never been more welcoming of crashing into something than right now. It stung, and it made every one of my muscles burn in pain, but shit, at least the world stopped spinning.

But when I felt heat, a searing heat that popped and hissed in my ears and singed my skin from how close it was. A heat that left a rancid smell of burning in the air. I froze in shock. I looked up slowly through wide, unfocused eyes. So wide that the air made them sting. It felt like my heart stopped cold in my chest, regardless of the burn.

I was surrounded. Everywhere I looked, on all sides.

 _Oh no... please._

Fire encompassed me in its threatening embrace. Tendrils of flame flicking outward like the claws of a predator trapping its prey. I had no where to run.

I started to hyperventilate as I tossed my head in a relentless struggle to find some means of escape. There were none.

" _Ayame!_ " I croaked. My voice was so raw the sound came out strangled. Ayame didn't come. It didn't seem anyone was near me.

" _Shuichi!_ Help me _**please!**_ " But the red haired man didn't hear my pleas either. No one did.

" _ **Anybody!**_ "

I felt the wetness of tears streak down my face. The smoke from the flames began to fill my lungs, causing me to hack and wheeze. I coughed hard enough for spittle to hit the grass beneath me, but I tried to ignore it.

Was this how it was going to end? No... it couldn't be. Not like this.

"Somebody... please... I need help." I whined. My brow inclined upward as tears fell from my stinging eyes more freely. My lips quivered around every syllable. " _Please_." Another coughing fit wracked my body before I fell forward onto the grass. My face was plastered with sweat and grime. I panted harshly into the grass. As I laid there, my vision began to blur, going hazy around the edges.

Before I fell victim to the smoke and the flames, something glinted a brilliant shine not too far away from me. It momentarily distracted me from my all consuming fear. I tried to discern what it was as I squinted in an attempt to get a better look. The longer I stared, the more I noticed it looked like some kind of rock. It was black and shiny. It looked like some kind of onyx stone.

For some reason, I felt compelled to get to it. By whatever means necessary. With every last ounce of strength I could muster out of my battered body, I began to drag myself towards it. One arm over the other. I dug my feet into the dirt to help push myself along. I gritted my teeth as I let out small groans of pain in my endeavor to reach it. I channeled all of my energy, all my fear and worry and panic into this one task. To get to that stone. It gave me something to work toward. Something to focus on. The shine on its smooth, yet jagged surface danced in time with the flames.

I kept going until I was mere inches away from it. Eventually I stopped, and reached out a shaky hand to grab it. Once my hand landed on it, I noticed it was warm. Incredibly so. Though it didn't feel like its surface was warm. It was like it was pulsing with warmth. Like a heart beat. I didn't know what to make of it.

Almost as soon as I had touched it, the stone seemed to react to my hand. Something pulsed out of it like some kind of shock wave, but it didn't push me back. Instead, it pushed back the flames that surrounded me. Another pulse and the flames flickered out of entirely. And with it, it took the heat and smell and the blinding orange and red with it. Darkness and the sudden quiet of the night fell over me like a blanket.

I didn't give it much thought at first as I rolled onto my back and took in ragged, unsteady breaths of air. Smoke still lingered in the air, but I sucked it up without complaint. My chest heaved with every inhale.

When the excitement faded ever so slightly, I lifted the hand with the stone firmly grasped within and moved it to hover over my face. My vision was still blurred, and my hand shaky, but I managed to stare at it. I turned it this way and that. It looked relatively ordinary. It couldn't possibly have done anything. Was it just a huge gust of wind that quelled the flames? I hadn't felt any wind.

I gingerly shook my head, and let out a humorless chuckle. Never before had I been more accepting of the phrase, 'don't look a gift-horse in the mouth.'

I allowed myself a few moments of rest. I'm not sure how long I laid there. It felt like hours. Eventually, I knew I had to get up. I let out more pained grunts as I forced myself to get up on my hands and knees. The action was rather painful. My knees felt horrible. Like somebody had taken a hammer to them.

"Fuck..." I cursed.

I wanted to just sit still forever, but I couldn't. I let out a whimper as I placed my palms on the singed grass in an effort to push myself up.

Before I could, however, something sounded right in front of me. Like boots hitting the ground. I peered up slightly to see it was just that. Black boots that blended in with the dark so much I almost couldn't see them, yet were undeniably there.

I slowly followed the boots up the legs they were connected to. Black pants greeted my eyes followed by a tattered black shirt and a ragged black cloak. That wasn't what I paid much attention to, however. Instead, what grabbed my attention was the stark white bandages wrapped around this stranger's face completely, save for one lone eye. They stood out in the dark like a beacon.

That eye, though, it was unnerving. It was trained right at me with such a maniacal gleam it had me shuddering. I tried to move back, but the man simply took a step forward.

I mean, seriously, I couldn't seem to catch a break.

"W-who are you?" I stuttered out hoarsely. The man didn't answer me. He just kept staring. It then occurred to me, what if this was the guy who caused those explosions? I hadn't seen him around prior to now.

That thought shook me to the core. I tried backing up more quickly, but the man simply took long strides towards me.

"What the hell do you _want_?!" Screaming at a possible pyromaniac probably wasn't the best idea I ever had, but my nerves were getting to me. On top of the fact that he wasn't even speaking or anything. That agonizing feeling of panic was coming back to me with a vengeance.

There was a long moment where he continued to stay silent while I considered my options, few as they were. A jolt of fear so strong it caused me to flinch assaulted me when he did finally speak.

" _Give it to me._ "

The voice was so deep it sounded inhuman. It had some kind of dissonance to it. It sounded harsh, but faded off into a raspy whisper.

"...I don't know what you're-"

" _ **Give it to me.**_ "

My heart felt like it had jumped into my throat. I was about to try getting up to possibly run away when I felt the warmth in my hand start to pulse. Startled, I lifted it up in front of me to see the stone from before. I still had it grasped firmly in my palm.

I stared at it, mystified. What _was_ this thing anyway?

I didn't get much of a chance to ponder any further on it, because the man in front of me seemed triggered at the sight of the stone in my hand.

" _ **Give it to me.**_ " He repeated like a mantra. I withdrew my hand quickly to my chest. I couldn't really explain why, but something compelled me not to give in to this man's demand.

With courage that came from absolutely no where, I said, "No."

This didn't seem to be the correct response, because the man seemed to become rather agitated at my refusal to cooperate.

" _ **Give it to me.**_ " He spat with a more venomous edge. He then reached forward in an attempt to grab me. Needless to say, I panicked. In an effort to avoid my attacker, I swiped at the hands reaching for me. It did little good, as he caught my arm and pulled me forward.

"Get off of me!" I shouted as I used the hand that held the stone to push him away.

As soon as it touched him, the stone reacted. Everything after was a blur. It had all happened so fast. One minute, I was trying to get away from the weird guy with the bandages, and the next I was sailing through the air for the umpteenth time that day. There had been a bright, almost blinding flash of light before a huge pulse so powerful it was visible, shot out from the stone. It looked as if the shock wave had distorted the very space around it as it traveled outward from its source.

I remember hearing a feral hiss before I was thrown back.

I didn't stop until I hit one of the sparsely scattered trees on the campus. The impact was so hard it knocked the wind out of my lungs.

I fell to the ground with a thump, breathing harshly. Every breath felt like I was inhaling needles. What the hell _was that_? That was something unlike anything I had ever seen or felt before. Like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

I inhaled once more, and pain shot through my chest. It caused me to heave. I tried to move, but it was pointless. My whole body felt like lead.

Through my pained haze, I could vaguely hear the sound of footsteps. I couldn't even muster up enough strength to be scared. The only thing that ran through my mind was, _God, not again._

I expected the worst, but as I lay there, the person merely knelt down beside me and placed cool fingers on my neck. Were they checking for a pulse?

I tried to move, to show I was alive, but a voice stilled me.

"Don't move. Your injuries are pretty severe." I recognized the voice. I tried my hardest to lift my head. When I did, a familiar head of red hair and pretty green eyes greeted me.

"Shu... ichi..."

"Don't force yourself to talk."

I stared at him. He looked fiercely determined and agitated as he checked me over, moving parts of my shirt to search for what I assumed to be injuries. The scowl looked misplaced on his usually kind face. Watching him work made me feel relieved. I mean, I always loved seeing Shuichi, but right now he looked like a damn angel.

I then had a thought. It was at that moment that I felt that maybe, maybe I should show the stone I had picked up to Shuichi. I wasn't sure what exactly he would be able to do about it, but Shuichi was a smart guy. Maybe he would understand it more than I. And I was sure Shuichi would be more able to keep whatever this was away from that weird man.

I had to practically drag my arm along the grass, and painstakingly slowly at that. Carefully, I managed to move the hand close to Shuichi. When I opened my hand my fingers ached. I must have held onto it pretty tightly during that whole ordeal. My eyes began to feel heavy, and in the dark I could hardly see the man above me.

I did hear him gasp in shock, though.

"Where did you get that?" He asked with a sense of urgency that I couldn't possibly fathom at the moment.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but as soon as I did, the stone had another one of those reactions. Instead of another explosion, it started to glow. With the brightness came along an intense sensation of burning. It was so hot it felt as if I had stuck my hand into an erupting volcano. My feeble body managed a startled cry of pain. My first instinct was to let it go, though when I shook my hand to free myself of the intense burn it wouldn't get off my hand.

I stared at it in shock, and just in time to see it meld itself within my hand. Almost as if my skin wasn't something solid.

When it fully disappeared, the pain dissipated. As if it never was. With the absence of the pain came a sudden wave of exhaustion. It seemed that everything that had happened to me up until this point was finally catching up to me. Or perhaps the adrenaline was finally wearing off. Whatever the case may be, I felt every muscle in my tired body go slack.

Before my vision faded to black, I vaguely heard Shuichi mutter something, or maybe he yelled it. I couldn't really be sure at this point.

"Just hold on! You'll be all right-"

And then my world went dark.

* * *

AN:

JUST WANT TO CLARIFY. The man Aya saw is not Hiei. Kk.

Well all right then! Second chapter under my belt. I hope you guys liked this more action-y chapter. :D


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